Game-board



R. H. ROWLAND.

GAME BOARD.

, APPLICATION men MAR.16, 1920.

K25) 0 25, /O/25\@ O I 0% o in 53 /O 113 0 Illa 6):! e fl/QWW billiards, which is of inexpensive construction.

UNITED STATES" ROY H. ROWLAND, or VALL Y JUNCTION, Iowa.

GAME-BOARD.

Specification of Letters.Patent.

Patented Nov. 16,1920.

Application filed March 16, 1920. Serial No. 366,420. I

- 20 all whom it may concern:

A' furtherobject of my device is to pro vide a game, wherebyballs are rolled upon the'game board until"they reach a certain position, when gravity will cause them to roll down an-inclined' surface, the inclined surface being provided with a plurality of pockets for receiving the balls, and also with a series of spaced pins whichwill cause the balls to travel in a zigzag path, while travelingdown the inclined surface. 7

A further object of my device is to provide a game board, which is provided with a series of pockets for receiving balls. the

7 pockets being so arranged that it will be an becomes lodged in one of the diflicult pock-- easymatter for the balls to become lodged in some of them, and quite difiicult, for balls to become lodged in some of theother pockets. The score or number of points made by playing the game may be varied; that is, if a ball ets, twenty-five points are credited @to the player, if the ball becomes lodged in some of the less difficult pockets, ten points are credited, and-if it'becomes lodged in one of the easier pockets, thenfivepoints will be credited to the playerl The device will ordi-.

narily be played upon a billiard tablewith fifteen balls, and the. total score made'by the fifteen balls will be the total number of points which. the player will be credited with. The objectbeing for the player to'obtain-the greatest number of points possible.

Still a further.objectisto' providea game board, which is to be used incombinat'ion' with abilliard table and fifteen balls. The

game being. providedjjwitha closure member for holding the entirenumber of balls, while the game is being played,- the closure mem her being adapted to be removed,when'it "is desired to remove the'balls from the game bo'ardand start the next game. f

Still a further object is to provide a game, which requires some skill on the part'of the player to cause the ball to travel at a certain invention consists in the ENT OFFICE.

rate of speed to a certain point, at which point" the ball then travels by ravitv to various parts of'the game board, the operator having no control ofth'e ball afterit reaches that point upon the board where grav ty will cause the ball to roll.

With these and other objects in view, my

rangement and combination of the various construction, ar-

parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more pomted out inmyclaims, I

fully set forth,

and illustrated in the accompanying drawin s, in which:- igure 1 shows a side elevation of a'table with my improved game board shown there-.,

on, parts ofthe tablebeing shown in section in order to better illustrate theposition' of my device, whenbeing used.

Fig. 2' shows 'a'top or plan view of; a portion of atable with my improved game board thereon.

lin e3-3 of Fig. 1, showing'the track and guides through which the balls travelon'the game board.

Fig.4 shows an enlarged, detaihtop view of one end of the guide members.

Flg.

throughone of the pins on the game board;

. and p v V I I A i Fig. 6 shows a sectional view taken on'line -6 0i Fig. 1. i. 7

In the accompanying'drawin'gs, I- have used the reference numeral 10 .to indicate 5f shows a detail, sectional view -Fi'g. 3 shows agsectional view taken on,

the ordinary'table,*which is provided with I the'legs 11-. I The top of thetable 10 is provided with a recess 12. The outer edgesof the recess 12 are provided with a rubbercushlon member.

13. My improved game board is inclined at one end,'re'sting on the bottom of the recess 12 and the other endresting'onytop of the cushion member 13. This is clearly shown in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings. My improved game comprises a base 14, which is ber 15. The guide fmember 15 extends around the outer edge of the base'le and is of angle iron construction, asis shown in section in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The guide Spaced "inwardly from the curvedguide P d th a Curved guid crews 16.

15 are the short guide members 17 which are securedto'the base l lby' means of the A screws 18. -The inner ends of the guides oftheguides 17 V V have used the reference. character A to nd cate generally the track or passageway formed between theguides 15 and 17. 1 i The loweror forward edge of thebasel t is; beveled at'21, so that the extreme forward edge of the base 14; will be substantially. flush with the u per surface of the recess 12.; in Fig-6 oftl 'e drawings. v

The-base 14: is providedlwith a seriesof pockets 22, 23, and 24. [The pocket 22. is

near the-upper portion of the game board and'is substantially in bet-weenthe ends of theiguides 1'75 The'pockets 23a1ye 'near th'e center of the board, while thepockets 24:

are near the extreme lower edge of the asv the balls,--atter they are 'on the game board,

game board. I v

r I have shown-only one pocket 22,- several pockets 23, and a great'nui-nber of poo;- ets 24e. r 7 1 Spaced at various' points on-the surtaceof the base 1 are theepins 25'. The pins 25 are formed with a small fiange 26 and a SCEGW". threaded portion 27. The screw-threaded port-ion 27 -is designed to be received within an opening within the base 14' and to re ce'ive" a nut 28* *on *its lowerend.

The flange 26 rests against the upper face of the game board, while the nut 28 rests snugly' against the lower surface. By

' tightening'the nut28 on-the screw-threaded pOrtionQ/T, I am able to f rmly hold the pins 25 in proper position. The placed upon the table, that'it would be-diflicult for a ball to make a straight :line in traveling from the upperwportion of the base 14" to the extreme I'lower portion.

The track-3A; is slightly widen-than the ball 29, whereby some play andflclearance 'is proyided when the ball is traveling within the -curved track A. The pockets 22 ,i23 a-nd I 24' are smaller than the ballj29, so thata ball willnot pass through, but merely become lodged or seated within the pocliets:

Near the extreme lower edge of the base 7 14,1 have proyidedz'a .closuremembertO,

which extends in betweentheen'ds 20 -o'i' the 7 guides 17., The/closure memberfiOfis proyided with the grooves 31, which receive theends 26 oit the guides 1-7;.

The closure-member wherebyathe :balls which will be held upon the base may be easily removed there-from, andithen the closure member 30 maybe replaced in position, and thus prevent any of from again passingronto the table; I The wayvin which the game is played is to place the balls somewhere upon the table It will be seenthat between the ends 15' an opening is formed. 1"

Thisis substantially illustrated I x the ball will become lodged in the pocket pins 25 are so may be raised,

1 into the track itwill beseen that the ball 29 will follow the curved guide 15 and pass out at the opposite end of the game board.

Butif just enough force is used, the ball will lose its momentum about thetime that it reaches the pointon the track between the ends-l9 of the guides 17. Gravity will then cause the ball to pass down-the inclined sur face. During the passingor rolling of the) ball from "the upper portion ot-the baseto the lower, there are'soine probabilities that 22,:but if it should fail to lodge inthe pocket 22, then there-is some chance that it will be received in the pockets 23 If-itis notreceived in these pockets then, ot course, the ball will be received in'one otthe poohets 24 The pins 25 prevent the "balls from. following :a straight path, but cause them 'to movein' a zigzag direction, which makes 7 i 1t ery interesting ln so farthat after-"the ball once comes upon thegame board, no. amount of skill onthe part of the player will help make" any sort of'a score. I

From the foregoing, it will be seen that thelga'me-is very interesting, and that the total scoreat the end ofthe ganie willyary according to: just where the balls have become lodged inthe pockets It will'be 0 course understood that the pockets may abe arranged inyario us ways, and ,the. number of ,points credited to the player by the ;peckets;-may be yariedin ac: cordance with the desire of the-players, :but' 7 the: principleofthe game is-the pocket 22 in which the 'ballw-"ill become lodged only a few times in agreat number of plays will give the operator or player atgreaterramount of credit, than lfFtllG ball. will become lodged in the pockets 24; The pockets 23 will give i the playerless credit than thepocket 22, but

yet more credit than the pockets 24, because the chances of having a ball become lodged in thepocket 23ers much less than in: the pockets 24;. p The total score made bythe total number-of balls used will be the totalcredit given each player. j r

Some changes nlay be made in the con strnetion and ;.arrangement; of, the various parts of my improved device without de-t panting from thejjessential features and purposes of my-inyentiomand-it is-my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of v structure or use of" mechanical equiva lents, which may bereasonably included within theirscopep r V I.-claim asfmyinVntionf i ii A game adapted to be gplayed upon a table, sa-iid game including a base' set at an incline relative to the table and adapted 'to Y haye'one ed'ge rest flush "with theupper surfa'ce of the table, spaced curved guides placed upon said base forming a track, the inner one of said guides being provided with an opening whereby balls traveling between said guides will pass out at the opening and roll over the inclined base, and a closure member adapted to sit adjacent to the forward edge of said base and to be held in position between the lower ends of the inner guide whereby the balls will be held upon the base after being played.

2. A game adapted to be played upon a table, said game including a base set at [an incline relative to the table and adapted to have one edge rest flush with the upper surface of the table, spaced curved guides placed upon said base forming a track, the

inner one of said guides being provided with an opening whereby balls traveling between said guides will pass out at the opening and roll over the inclined base, and a closure member adapted to sit adjacent to the -formember, the pockets being designed to re ceive the balls traveling over the, inclined base after they have left the track,the parts: being so arranged that it will be more difli cult to have the balls lodge in some of the pockets than in others.

Des Moines, Iowa, March 2, 1920.-

Y ROY H. ROWLAND V 

